Jack Smith, Content Manager; Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief
Articles
2018 40 Under 40: Kevin Sandrella, PE, LEED AP; 35
Project Manager, Electrical Engineer, CMTA, Prospect, Ky. BS electrical engineering, University of Louisville, Kentucky Sandrella joined CMTA as an intern in 2005 and became a full-time employee in 2009. He has managed a variety of projects for CMTA in 38 states and Canada including education, health care, data centers, and specialized medical equipment installations. His design expertise focuses on medium- and low-voltage power systems including emergency backup, load-shedding, and paralleling systems; communications systems; fire alarm systems; energy-efficient lighting; power monitoring and metering; daylighting; and lighting controls systems.
2018 40 Under 40: Stephen Lahti, PE, LEED AP BD+C; 31
Associate, Senior Mechanical Engineer, WSP USA, Boston BS mechanical engineering, University of Massachusetts, LowellMBA, Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Ala. (in progress) Lahti is an associate and senior mechanical engineer at WSP in Boston, where he performs and manages the design of mechanical systems to meet client needs and regularly interfaces with clients, leads conceptual designs, and prepares reports to inform design. He also has been taking on an active role in client interviews and outreach.
2018 40 Under 40: Jeremy Lebowitz, PE; 31
Vice President Development, Industrial, JENSEN HUGHES, Framingham, Mass. BS chemical engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass.MS fire protection engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Lebowitz is the vice president of development for the industrial, laboratory, and manufacturing sectors at JENSEN HUGHES. He began his so far 10-year career with the company as an engineering intern with the Boston office in 2008, progressing to consulting engineer and client manager after obtaining his professional engineering license in 2012, to his current role, which he has held for the past 4 years. In his current role as “growth director” for the industrial vertical market, Lebowitz is responsible for professional development, large-account development, and technical delivery of projects.
2018 40 Under 40: Michael Moerlins, PE; 35
Associate, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Interface Engineering, Portland, Ore. BS industrial and systems engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology Moerlins is an associate and senior mechanical engineer at Interface Engineering in Portland, Ore. He brings a unique perspective to the design process and more than 10 years of design experience. Having begun his career as a project manager with a mechanical contractor, he is able to approach each design with sustainability and constructibility in mind.
2018 40 Under 40: Kimberly Moore, 38
President and Founder, KDM Engineering, Chicago BS electrical engineering, Northern Illinois University, DeKalbMS engineering, Northern Illinois University As president and founder of KDM Engineering in Chicago, Moore is an electrical engineering manager with more than 15 years of experience as well as a comprehensive background in distribution engineering including group and project management. She has had years of experience within the engineering industry prior to founding KDM Engineering. Since graduation from college, every experience has been a vertical step in her career and provided her with the skills and experience needed to eventually build her own company.
2018 40 Under 40: Kelly Noel, 38
Associate Vice President, Henderson Engineers, Lenexa, Kan. BS architectural engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence An associate vice president and the first African-American woman to achieve ownership status in firm history, Noel serves as the principal in charge of a team of 32. She has been a driving force behind Henderson’s rapid growth thanks to her work with the company’s largest clients, which includes serving as project or program manager on numerous big-box retail operations. Noel joined Henderson in 2003 immediately after earning her degree from the University of Kansas.
2018 40 Under 40: Ibrahim Odeh, 39
Founding Director, Global Leaders in Construction Management, Columbia University, N.Y. BS civil engineering, Jordan University of Science and TechnologyMBA, University of St. Thomas, Minn.PhD civil and environmental engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Odeh is the founding director of Global Leaders in Construction Management (GLCM) at Columbia University. He is a unique combination of a strategist, academic, innovator, and entrepreneur.
2018 40 Under 40: Brandon Rich, PE, LEED AP BD+C; 33
Associate Principal, Alvine Engineering, Omaha, Neb. BS and MS architectural engineering, University of Nebraska Rich began his engineering career as an electrical intern at Alvine Engineering in 2007. While an intern, he assisted in designing projects in a variety of market sectors as well as assisting in reviews of submittals and responses to contractor requests for information. After graduating with his master’s degree in architectural engineering, he began his career at Alvine as an electrical engineer.
2018 40 Under 40: Erica Ryherd, PhD, LEED AP; 39
Associate Professor, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb. BS architectural engineering, Kansas State University, ManhattanPhD architectural engineering, University of Nebraska Ryherd is an associate professor at the Durham School of Architectural Engineering & Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She graduated from Kansas State in 2001 with distinctions that included nomination into the Architectural Engineering Honor Society. She went on to receive her PhD in Architectural Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006.
2018 40 Under 40: Stet Sanborn, AIA, CPHC; 37
Associate Principal, Integral Group, Oakland, Calif. BS mechanical engineering, Kettering University, Flint, Mich.M.Arch, University of California, Berkeley As an associate principal with Integral Group in Oakland, Calif., Sanborn is primarily responsible for highly innovative mechanical system design. He also leads the firm’s efforts in integrating high-performance building enclosures and passive design strategies into a wide range of building types in pursuit of net zero and net positive energy. As a designer with a background in both engineering and architecture, he is able to bridge the communication gap that commonly occurs between disciplines.
2018 40 Under 40: Eric Kamm, MBA; 32
Business Development Manager, Stanley Consultants, Muscatine, Iowa BS industrial engineering and MBA, Iowa State University, Ames Kamm is a business development manager at Stanley Consultants in Muscatine, Iowa. In just 10 years with Stanley Consultants, he has risen from the rank of college intern to that of trusted business development manager in charge of many of the firm’s oldest rural electric cooperative client accounts. A few of whom, such as Butler Country REC, have been clients for more than 85 years.
2018 40 Under 40: Matthew Slager, PE, LEED AP, CGD; 36
Chief Mechanical Engineer, Hanson Professional Services Inc., Springfield, Ill. BS mechanical engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign As chief mechanical engineer at Hanson Professional Services Inc. in Springfield, Ill., Slager oversees a group of seven mechanical staff members in his department and works in tandem with the firm’s commissioning group of 10 commissioning specialists. He continuously updates the company’s in-house mechanical design standards, tools, and methods to streamline the mechanical design services that Hanson provides.
2018 40 Under 40: Amir Tasbihi, PMP; 36
Director of Construction Technology, STV, N.Y. BS civil engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, IranMS environmental engineering, Amirkabir University of TechnologyMS construction management, Manhattan College, NYC Tasbihi is one of the construction industry’s leading innovators in the application and integration of building information modeling (BIM), project management information system (PMIS), and data analytics software. As STV’s director of construction technology, he oversees construction software operations for the firm’s national project controls group. The company is currently engaged in more than 20 high-profile construction management projects, where its unique application of BIM 456 services allows the firm to track a project’s cost and schedule in real time via a BIM model.
2018 40 Under 40: Megan Tosh, PE, LEED AP BD+C, ASHRAE BEMP; 33
Product Manager, Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES), Portland, Ore. BS and MS mechanical engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando Tosh joined IES in Portland, Ore., in August 2013 as a software support engineer after spending 7 years as a sales engineer at the Stan Weaver Co. in Orlando, Fla. In 2017, she achieved the role of product manager and is now responsible for tracking changes in relevant codes, standards, and addenda to help shape the development of the firm’s HVAC modeling software.
2018 40 Under 40: Aaron Vanney, PE, LEED AP; 36
Vice President, JENSEN HUGHES, Dubai, United Arab Emirates BS mechanical engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MassachusettsMS fire protection engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute With more than 13 years of experience, Vanney is vice president of JENSEN HUGHES’ Middle East operations. He joined the firm in 2005 as an associate engineer in the Chicago office and was promoted to associate manager of the International Division prior to relocating to the Dubai, United Arab Emirates, office in 2009. While in Dubai, he took on the role of general manager of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices in 2014 and has since expanded his role to overseeing the Middle East Operations.
2018 40 Under 40: Blythe Vogt, PE, LEED AP; 40
Managing Director, Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI), Denver BS and MS architectural engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan Vogt is managing director of the AEI Denver office. She is a hands-on manager leading some of the office’s more challenging projects in higher education, research/teaching labs, and clinical applications.
2018 40 Under 40: Kim Wall, LEED GA; 33
Senior Electrical Designer, Interface Engineering, Portland, Ore. BS architectural engineering, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Greensboro Wall is a senior electrical designer with Interface Engineering in Portland, Ore. Since joining the firm in 2012, she has had the opportunity to design systems both domestically and internationally. Her strengths include power distribution, BIM, technology, energy-efficient lighting and lighting controls, and emergency power/lighting systems.
2018 40 Under 40: Peter Walters, 36
Lead Process Engineer, CRB, Carlsbad, Calif. BS chemical/biochemical engineering, University of California, Davis Walters is a lead process engineer at CRB specializing in biological process equipment and facility design. He oversees conceptual and detailed design projects, multidiscipline coordination, and generation of design deliverables including design narratives, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), material and energy balances, facility-arrangement drawings, process simulations, cost analysis, and specialized reports. Over the past 14 years working in pharmaceutical process and equipment design, he has gained a unique purview into aseptic equipment design, process scale-up, pilot, and manufacturing operations.
2018 40 Under 40: Kirstin Weeks, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, GRP, CEM; 39
Associate, Arup, San Francisco BA environmental studies, Dartmouth CollegeMS building science, University of California, Berkeley Weeks is an associate with a specialty in energy and building ecology in Arup’s San Francisco office. Her projects span from individual buildings to master plans and research, and her clients include many of the world’s most prominent tech companies and retailers, as well as some of the most progressive developers, cities, and universities. In addition to projects with impacts on a grand scale, she delights in community projects, such as EPACenter Arts, where her water strategy is currently helping ensure the viability of a much-needed youth art center in an economically disadvantaged community.
2018 40 Under 40: Hilary Williams, CEng MIMechE, LEED AP BD+C; 39
Associate, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Boston MEng mechanical engineering, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England Williams is an associate and mechanical engineer in Arup’s Boston office, where she manages the mechanical team and is responsible for engineering design, project management, quality control, and business development on a wide range of building projects, focusing on science and education. Over the past 17 years, she has been involved in projects throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East, working in Arup’s London, New York, and Boston offices. Her international experience gives her a unique insight into a wide variety of design approaches and standards.
2018 40 Under 40: Kyle DelPiano, LEED AP; 36
Business Development Manager, Xylem Inc., Raleigh, N.C. BS polymer and fiber engineering, Auburn University DelPiano is business development manager for Xylem’s Americas Commercial Team. He has worked at the firm since 2014 and was promoted to this position in October 2017 from his previous role as Southeast market development manager. Working closely with senior management, he’s helping to develop a strategic direction for the company in the commercial building services market and for Xylem legacy brands, such as Bell & Gossett.
2018 40 Under 40: Melody Ablola, CMILT; 35
Associate Logistics Consultant, Arup, San Francisco BS and BA industrial and systems engineering, University of San DiegoMSc international transport and logistics,University of Glamorgan, Wales Ablola is an associate logistics consultant in the San Francisco office of Arup. She joined the firm’s New York City office in 2006 after working for a global pharmaceutical company in San Diego for 2 years. While in Arup’s New York office, she worked on large-capital distribution centers, such as a first-of-its-kind automation design for the Zappos.com distribution center, which was carried over when the company was purchased by Amazon.
2018 40 Under 40: Porus Antia, LEED AP; 40
Senior Associate, Stantec, San Francisco BArch, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, IndiaMS architecture, Arizona State University, Tempe Antia is a senior associate at Stantec and leads the company’s energy and sustainability practice in California. His practice focuses on sustainable building design and operations. He manages a multidisciplinary group of engineers and technologists with a focus on high-performance, energy-efficient built environments.
2018 40 Under 40: Peter Arvay, PE, CEM; 33
Senior Project Manager, Energy Squared, Princeton, N.J. BS mechanical and aerospace engineering, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Arvay started at Energy Squared in Princeton, N.J., in June 2012 as a project manager and was promoted to senior project manager in June 2015. Before joining the firm, he worked for TRC Energy Services and Center for Advanced Energy Systems. He is the only person in Energy Squared’s history to have obtained both his electrical and mechanical PE licenses.
2018 40 Under 40: David Bhuta, PE; 39
Director, Raleigh Office, JENSEN HUGHES, N.C. BS fire protection engineering, University of Maryland, College ParkMBA, University of Redlands, Calif. After graduating from college, Bhuta accepted a job with the Southwest division of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) in San Diego. After 3 years, he relocated to the Los Angeles area to pursue a career in the private sector. After a small stint working for the city of Pasadena, Calif., he accepted a position with a consulting firm in Los Angeles named Hughes Associates, which eventually became JENSEN HUGHES.
2018 40 Under 40: Ryan Biziorek, LEED AP, CTS; 36
Associate, Arup, Chicago BA physics and economics, Kalamazoo College, Mich.MSc sound and vibration studies, University of Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom Biziorek is an associate consultant leading the Arup Acoustics, Audiovisual, and Theatre consulting team in Chicago. He provides acoustics and audio/video (A/V) technical expertise as well as project management skills for various building types. He has experience in performing arts design, building service-noise analysis, room acoustic modeling and calculations, public address, and A/V system designs.
2018 40 Under 40: Denis Blount, CTS-D; 36
Associate, Arup, Seattle BS sound engineering, University of MichiganMS acoustics and signal processing, New York University (in progress) Blount is an associate who leads the Acoustics, Audiovisual, and Theater Consulting team in Arup’s Seattle office. Educated with a background in engineering and music, he is uniquely positioned at the intersection of acoustics, technology, and architectural design. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with the highest-profile architects, engineers, and clients covering a wide range of building sectors.
2018 40 Under 40: Nikhil Bodhankar, PE, LC, LEED AP; 34
Associate Principal, SMRT Architects and Engineers, Latham, N.Y. BS electronics and telecommunications engineering, University of Pune, IndiaMS electrical engineering, Syracuse University, N.Y. Bodhankar, a senior electrical engineer and an associate principal and shareholder at SMRT Architects and Engineers in Latham, N.Y., has more than a decade of experience in specialized scientific research and practice in the discipline of electrical engineering. His engineering designs have been applied in a variety of public- and private-sector fields including research institutions, education, utilities, transportation, health care, and renewable energy. Bodhankar leads the electrical engineering department of SMRT’s New York office.
2018 40 Under 40: Russell Carr, PE, CEng; 38
Associate, Arup, San Francisco MS electrical engineering, University of Leeds, United Kingdom Carr is an associate at Arup in San Francisco and a chartered electrical engineer with 13 years of experience. He specializes in the policy, planning, entitlement, and procurement of renewable energy, microgrids, and energy-storage systems as integral elements to urban infrastructure, along with the design and construction of data centers and industrial electrical distribution systems. He has extensive working history with the city of San Francisco, PG&E, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Laboratory.
2018 40 Under 40: Kimberly Cowman, PE, LEED AP; 37
Senior Associate, Senior Mechanical Project Engineer, Leo A Daly, Omaha, Neb. BS and MAE architectural engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cowman is a senior associate and senior mechanical project engineer with Leo A Daly, an architecture, engineering, planning, interior design, and program management firm headquartered in Omaha, Neb. She began her career at the firm in 2004 as a mechanical engineer in training, having worked for them as an intern while completing her engineering degree. Specializing in mechanical engineering analysis and design, she focused her skills on health care facilities.
2018 40 Under 40: Shannon Allison, LEED AP BD+C; 38
Associate Principal, Mechanical Designer; Integral Group, Oakland, Calif. BS architectural engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie Allison’s passion for environmentalism initially started her down an educational path toward marine biology, but quickly transitioned to the building design industry. After receiving her engineering degree, she moved back to California and settled in the Bay Area. There she worked for Mechanical Design Studio, a consulting firm in Walnut Creek, Calif., before joining Integral Group, where she has worked for 11 years.
2018 40 Under 40: James Dipping, PE, CPD, LEED AP BD+C, ARCSAA, AP; 39
Vice President, Environmental Systems Design Inc. (ESD), Chicago BS mechanical engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago Dipping joined ESD in 2009. Since joining the firm, his project role has grown from project engineer to project manager to technical authority, and today to a technical director and discipline leader.
2018 40 Under 40: Jacob Epstein, PE; 36
Senior Fire Protection Engineer, JENSEN HUGHES, Phoenix BS mechanical engineering, Arizona State UniversityMS fire protection engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Epstein is a senior fire protection engineer and team leader of JENSEN HUGHES’ Phoenix office with more than 12 years of experience. He first joined the firm in 2010 as an associate consultant and was promoted to a senior position in 2014. In 2017, he was promoted to team leader, where he is responsible for the work product and management of several associate-level engineers.
2018 40 Under 40: John Fetter, PE, REP, LEED Green Associate; 36
Senior Electrical Engineer, Primera Engineers, Chicago BA mathematics, Emory University, AtlantaBS electrical engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Fetter is a senior electrical engineer at Primera Engineers, where he has provided quality electrical designs and superb and responsive service for more than 4 years. Often, as a direct result of his work, Primera has received praise and assignments from repeat clients. While at Primera, he has not only served as lead electrical engineer on several projects for a variety of occupancies but has also acted as project manager on select projects—mostly on a volunteer basis.
2018 40 Under 40: Andrew Flanagan, PE, LEED AP, GPD; 35
Associate, Senior Plumbing Engineer, Interface Engineering, Portland, Ore. BS mechanical engineering, Washington State University Flanagan is an associate and senior plumbing engineer at Interface Engineering in Portland, Ore. Having worked for consulting firms, a design-build operation, a manufacturing company, and in property management, he has broad range of experiences that provides him a unique skill set to serve clients. Each position has built upon the skills learned in the prior position.
2018 40 Under 40: Laura Geiger, PE, LEED AP BD+C; 30
Associate, WSP, Dallas BS and MS architectural engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan Geiger is an associate electrical engineer for WSP working in the firm’s Dallas office as a lead electrical engineer and construction administrator. She started at the firm after earning her degree and has been an integral part of several diverse project teams including 1 million-sq-ft greenfield hospitals, lab-testing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and office renovations. She takes great pride in her work.
2018 40 Under 40: Matthew Goss, PE, CEM, CEA, CDSM, LEED AP BD+C; 40
Vice President, Technical Strategy Leader, CDM Smith, Latham, N.Y. BS mechanical engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, N.Y.MS operations and production management, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute As CDM Smith’s Energy and Infrastructure technical strategy leader, Goss actively works to identify, develop, and refine the firm’s technical strategy as it pertains to building mechanical, facilities, and energy market services (central plant systems, distributed utilities, boilers, chillers, and cogeneration). He works with staff and business colleagues to identify and pursue business opportunities, identify and attract staffing and resources, and develop project-execution plans. Goss has more than 15 years of experience specializing in the design and analysis of HVAC, piping, mechanical, and energy systems for industrial, commercial, educational, and municipal facilities.
2018 40 Under 40: James Gronek, PE, LEED AP BD+C; 35
Vice President, Environmental Systems Design Inc. (ESD), San Francisco BS mechanical engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Mass. Gronek started his career in 2005 at an engineering firm in San Francisco, working on retail and workplace interiors and developing a specialty in commercial office developments. He joined ESD in 2015 to help the firm establish a presence on the West Coast.
2018 40 Under 40: Samuel Haberman, PE, LEED AP BD+C, LC; 34
Associate Principal, Alvine Engineering, Oklahoma City BS architectural engineering, University of NebraskaMAE, University of NebraskaMBA, University of Nebraska at Omaha Haberman is an associate principal at Alvine Engineering in Oklahoma City, a family-owned consulting engineering firm with more than 50 years of expertise in MEP and fire protection (MEP/FP) engineering and technology systems engineering. Alvine has four offices across the Midwest. Haberman joined the firm in 2008 after spending a year at an engineering company in Colorado.
2018 40 Under 40: Robert Henderson, PE, CEng, LEED AP; 37
Associate, Arup, San Francisco MEng mechanical engineering, University of Edinburgh, Scotland Henderson is a mechanical engineer who works in Arup’s building engineering group in San Francisco. With more than 10 years at the firm, he has gained international experience in the design of prestigious tall buildings and other large-scale developments with acclaimed architects. Such projects include the Apple Campus 2, the Shard London Bridge Tower, Athens National Opera House and National Library, and the Parc 1 development in Seoul.